A Message from our Chairman
“At the core of the Foundation’s work is the idea that kids of today are being told to be the leaders of tomorrow, but are not given the tools. But it’s impossible to do this work alone, so thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey thus far, including our partners, donors, and the real MVPs – the educators. Today and every day, we celebrate you.”
A Message from our Executive Director
2020 was, well, unexpectedly tough. Around the world, coronavirus exacerbated social and economic inequalities. Here in SA, not only has COVID exposed underlying disparities in our educational system but will ultimately accelerate the consequences into the foreseeable future.
This year was uniquely challenging for numerous reasons. Firstly, South Africa saw some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Schools shut their doors, and for many, learning stopped amidst a struggle to pivot online. Further, it’s a historic year for our Grade 12s. More than a million candidates will sit for their matric exam, making it the largest public exam ever held in South Africa!
Despite this, am I optimistic about the future? Absolutely. I believe in Trevor Noah’s vision to empower youth with the tools to succeed as leaders of tomorrow. And while we continue to empower youth with the tools to succeed, there lies an opportunity in how we define tomorrow. In a post-covid world, we can reimagine education and create space for new leaders to emerge.
I’m also thankful for our tribe who collectively helped us achieve massive impact despite the circumstances. This year, we managed to support our schools, teachers and learners through psychosocial support, career guidance, leadership training, governance capacity building, grants for innovative community projects, and of course, direct COVID-19 relief.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to our Board of Directors, Staff, and partners for their dedication to the Trevor Noah Foundation. Here’s to continued optimism in 2021. Let’s get to work.
Yours in Education,
-Shalane Yuen
Executive Director
One Response
Nice. I believe Africa is going to face Covid-19 through 2022; South Africa has the most cases in the continent and with all that is happening quarantine is here to stay for a while and yes the education sector is affected and neglected since all the focus is on the economic sector.
Happy new year for 2020, 2021 and 2022